Hyderabad: The minor son of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA was detained on Tuesday in connection with the rape of a minor girl in Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills. It came days after a BJP leader alleged that the boy was involved in the shameful act.
With his arrest, all six accused in the case have been taken into custody – including one adult and five juveniles. They have been accused under the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The police sought custodial interrogation of the accused as part of further investigations into the case including for recreation of the scene of offence, sources said. The teenage girl, who visited a pub here on May 28 for a day-time party, was allegedly raped by five people, including three juveniles, police had earlier said. The girl was sexually assaulted in a Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV)
K. Chandrashekar Rao-led government came under sharp political attack from the opposition BJP and Congress demanding that the TRS dispensation hand over investigation in the case to the CBI to ensure an impartial probe.
BJP MLA M. Raghunandan Rao, at a press conference, had earlier displayed some photographs and alleged that it ‘showed’ AIMIM MLA’s son’s ‘involvement’ in the case. So far, four persons including an 18-year old accused and three children in conflict with law (juveniles) were apprehended in connection with the case.
The 18-year-old accused is presently under judicial custody. The statement of the girl was also recorded by police before a Magistrate, police sources said. Amid reports that the accused had cleaned the vehicle, they said the forensic teams have collected good amount of evidence related to the incident.
Meanwhile, a case was registered against BJP MLA M Raghunandan Rao, after he released a video allegedly relating to the case, police said. Alleging that an AIMIM MLA’s son was involved in the gang rape, he had said they have more evidence to prove the connection of the “MLA’s son”, though, he denied that he revealed the identity of the victim.
An advocate filed a complaint with the Abids police, and accused that the Dubbak MLA released photographs and videos related to the incident to the media that revealed the minor victim’s identity. Based on the complaint, the BJP leader was booked under section 228-A of the IPC, a police official at Abids police station told PTI on Tuesday.
The complainant further said while the investigation is in progress, it shows he (the BJP MLA) is interfering in the administration of justice and character assassination of the victim and it may have caused the minor victim colossal distress and sought to take action against Rao, for releasing the photographs and videos related to the case.
